


Leaves of Three, Let It Be

by Fenrirae



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Pining, Protective Jason Todd, Sex Pollen, elements of non-con
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:08:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29735052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fenrirae/pseuds/Fenrirae
Summary: Dick comes down with a strange side-effect after battling Poison Ivy that seems to affect whoever’s around him. People start trying to climb him like a tree for seeminglynoreason.With most of his family affected and Bruce off-world, his one saving grace turns out to be Jason and together they team up to get to the root of it all.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd
Comments: 12
Kudos: 112





	1. Escape from Wayne Manor

“Oh, cra-“

The vine crashed into his side. Despite having used both escrimas to block it, the force was enough to send him flying. Either way, the distraction worked. Damian’s foot connected with Ivy’s face and she tumbled down. Then they were out of view.

He braced himself yet rather than slamming into a hard wall, his back bounced against something spongy. Normally that’d be a fortunate turn of events but hitting something soft and spongy in the abandoned factory recently turned greenhouse could only mean one thing. Shuffling to get back up, he shot a glance upwards. Big mistake. A spray of wet smoke hit his face. It made him flail with the escrimas and roll away as coughs tore out of his lungs. The smoke had a sick odor that managed to be both sweet and utterly pungent, trickling through his nose.

“Hey, you okay?” Damian called from somewhere down below and the echo bounced off the walls.

“I’m good,” he croaked out mid-cough. Yucky enough, some mucus from the spray had splattered on the exposed parts of his face and neck. He tried wiping it off and flitting said wet substance away onto the floor but it didn’t do much. Was the damn thing trying to season him or what? Better not be carnivorous—

A sudden rustle made him tense and brace himself, escrimas at the ready.

The purple flower that’d just shot the delightful spray began to crumble, the creepy sharp edges of the petals turning into a brownish-gray. It withered away before the petals even hit the floor. Soon enough, the green stalk and leaves followed suit, shriveling up as if scorched.

He blinked at the crumpled-up pile of ashes that remained. If only it’d had the decency to do that before spewing all over him.

“I’ll call it in, let’s – Ugh! What the hell?”. Damian’s hand had immediately flown up to pinch his nose upon landing after having grappled his way up.

“What?”

“Smells like someone pooped vanilla onto a rotten peach.”

Sounded about right. Yet the awful smell that’d previously overloaded his senses had either dissipated or his nose had just had quit and refused to acknowledge it any longer. Either way, it was nice to finally be able to breathe again.

He’d better wash before anyone else got treated to a whiff. 

Damian offered a hand just as he was about to heave his butt off of the floor.

“Thanks.” He shot Damian a grin and grabbed it. Then Damian pulled him up with a surprising jerk, making him fumble to his feet.

“Hey, easy there bud.”

Damian had gone all stiff, staring up at him as if in a daze and clutching his hand.

There was a slight squeeze before Damian tugged him closer and _hugged_ him.

“You okay?” He gave him an awkward pat on the back.

Damian responded by squeezing even tighter. It was too surreal. Pushing Damian back gently, he grasped at the edges of Damian’s mask and lifted it. Staring back at him was half-lidded eyes, pupils blown.

Ah. That settled it.

“Let’s get you back home and uh, get you patched up.”

He ruffled Damian’s hair, only for Damian to lean into it.

Okay, so touching was a bad idea. He tried to gently pull back but Damian grabbed the hand and kept it firm against his cheek, closing his eyes and smiling. It was oddly sweet yet disturbing at the same time.

Geez, was it too much to ask just once that an encounter with Ivy ended nice and easy, without embarrassing memories to last a lifetime?

* * *

Tim seemed far too amused by the situation over the comms.

For him, it was already leaving plenty of mental scars each time Damian tried to stroke his thigh. It was a different kind of battle to bat the hand away each time it got handsy. Neither words, harsh pinching or the mother of all scowls seemed to pull Damian out of his hazy state. Nor did it stop the excessive touching.

Really, dumping Ivy and getting back to the cave couldn’t have happened soon enough. When they finally did, Tim walked towards them with a smug grin, definitely amped up for some gloat-a-lore.

“Yo,” he saluted while approaching Tim, “The lab set up?”

Tim hummed. “All yours. Need help with that?” He cocked his head at Damian glued to his side. Tim’s nose crinkled as he got close.

“Holy— what’s that smell?”. Tim coughed.

“That,” he gestured down towards his body, “is the smell of a plant taking a dump all over me. So if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a hot date with the bathtub.”

“You sure? You feeling alright?” 

He was. The initial scans hadn’t picked up anything. Damian seemed to have gotten the short stick on this one.

“Well, I’m not trying to hump everything in sight so that’s a plus.”

Tim winced.

“I’m good. Just need to wash off, that’s all.”

Tim still didn’t look like he bought it.

“Seriously.” It wasn’t as if this was his first tango with Ivy and the one in immediate need of help was Damian.

Tim shook his head before turning his attention to Damian.

“Go ahead,” Tim urged and waved him off.

Damian didn’t seem too keen on the idea, clutching his smaller hand even tighter around his wrist. Fortunately, trying to wrestle out of Damian’s grip proved to be distraction enough for Tim to bring out the syringe and prick Damian’s neck, injecting the anesthetic fluid into the vein.

He grabbed Damian by the arm before he could slump down to the floor but Tim had already gotten a good hold of him.

“Alright then, he’s now officially entrusted to your care.” He winked only to get an eye-roll in response. “Be nice,” he added, tapping Tim’s shoulder before taking off.

He really couldn’t have gotten to the bathroom fast enough. The tub looked absolutely divine. The initial shower scrubbed off the worst. Best part though was when he sank down into the tub and the warm water started drizzling down onto his skin. Once the water amassed to his chest, steam arose and he let out a sigh. Dipping his head was equally glorious as if all the stubborn grime simply detached from his face. Breaching the surface, he shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. Now he could just lean back –

The creak of the door made him jerk, splashing the water. “Jesus, you scared me.”

Tim slipped through the door, shutting it behind him.

“Something wrong? Is Damian—”. He halfway rose up on his feet, the rhythm of his heartbeats increasing in alarm, but Tim held out his hand to appease him.

“He’s fine.”

Slowly, he sat back down as his heart rate began to slow down from the false alert. Tim’s cheeks were tinted slightly red. Perhaps the steam had already got to him.

“You need me to, uh, get up?” He dragged a wet hand across his face and was about to rise again when Tim gestured for him to stop, waving his hands.

“No. I was thinking that I could _join_ you. I’d like a good wash as well.”

It was so unexpected that it drew a chuckle out of him. “You do realize there are more tubs than this one, right?”

Tim nodded, peeling off his mask and placing it on the sink. The smile on his face dropped. It wasn’t a joke? More alarming was Tim staring at him like a cat would stare at a wiggling toy, far too focused during the quiet moment that stretched between them.

Then Tim started to undress.

That did make him get up, splashing water all over again and even using the shower curtain to cover his lower parts.

“Well, I’m pretty much done here anyways. Just, uh, make sure to rinse it before using it.”

He tried smiling but Tim just continued to stare in that hazy and creepy way.

Crap. Was Damian contagious?

He just about managed to snatch the soft navy towel off of the towel rack and hold it in front of his body before Tim was up in his space.

He held his breath.

Tim leaned in, scrunching his nose.

Oh god. Was he _sniffing_?

“Heya, while this is cozy and all, how about you let me wipe up and get dressed?” He swallowed. “Then let’s talk.” He didn’t mean for it to come out so breathy and low, like a quiet command. He had to remind his brain that this was _Tim_.

“Not close enough,” Tim muttered under his breath before reaching for his hips, fingers ghosting against it.

He cringed. Officially too many mental scars for one night.

He saw the kiss coming from a mile away, turning his head away in time. However, he didn’t anticipate the actual _fondle_ of his groin.

Tim’s head jerked up when he grabbed both of Tim’s hands, holding them up.

“Easy there, tiger.”

Tim retaliated by planting his feet firmly to the floor and backing him up the wall.

“I don’t think you like it easy. Do you?”

That did fry his brain for a sec and he stood stiffly like a mannequin.

Tim took it as an opportunity to try and kiss him again.

“Dammit, would you stop?” The swelling unease made his heartbeat pound for real. He flipped them around and used his elbow to hold Tim up the wall but Tim curled a leg around his waist, pulling their bodies flush together.

This was one disturbing dance. Tim actually smiled when he inhaled sharply as Tim’s leg tightened around his waist. Tim leaned his head, going for his mouth, but the sudden knock on the door stopped him in his tracks.

“Excuse me Master Dick, have you seen Master Tim?”

Both of their heads shot in the direction of the door, Tim’s leg relaxing.

God bless Alfred.

He shoved Tim towards the tub and made a run for it. There was no thud of Tim actually falling into it but he didn’t have time to look.

Pulling the handle harshly, he was greeted by Alfred’s shocked face when he threw the door open before slamming it shut, just one step ahead of Tim.

Tim yanked the handle and it took his body weight to pin the door in place, keeping a tight grip on the rattling handle.

“Al, keys!”

“What—“

“Hurry!”

Alfred looked about as confused as he felt but complied, digging out the master key and locked the door with a click.

Tim’s fists pounded against the other side of the door.

“What on earth?” Alfred mumbled. 

“I think he’s been affected by Ivy, like Damian.”

That rang another alarm bell. He immediately stepped away from Alfred. He’d been close to both Tim and Damian, so best guess, it was his turn.

“You need to go. I might be next –“

“No, what on earth is that smell?” Alfred lifted a napkin up to his nose.

No. Not Alfred too.

Wait.

No.

No way.

Yet the image of the plant hitting him with that spray played in his head. But— If that was the case, why didn’t he feel anything?

He nearly jumped as Tim slammed his fist against the door again, causing it to shake. It wouldn’t take long until this strategy was a bust.

“What do we do about Master Tim?”

The lock started to click from inside, like metal hitting metal and rustling around.

Goddammit. Nothing more to it then.

“The cave. I’ll stall.” He’d have to deal with one thing at a time. Damian should be contained in the lab and Alfred had yet to manifest anything. Tim was the definite immediate threat.

Alfred opened his mouth for a second before closing it again, turning on his heel and hurrying down the hallway.

Confidence was all good but he had no gear, no nothing. He’d wrestle Tim naked if he had to but there had to be some other way to buy time for Alfred to return with either the antidote or a tranquilizer. He tightened the towel around his waist while scanning the hallway, considering the possible routes.

A final click and the handle going down meant the jig was up.

Running it was and his feet thumped against the floor with each step.

The door burst open just as he reached the corner. Shooting a glance at Tim caused immediate regret. Tim seemed like a human interpretation of a torpedo, face completely blank as his eyes locked onto its target from the doorway. Not even a hint of anger from being locked in.

Great, another image to haunt him for ages.

Bursting into a sprint, he rounded the corner but nearly skidded to a stop. Alfred was standing on the opposite side of the grand hall, clutching the wooden railing with a downcast face.

Was he hurt?

“Al!” he called out before resuming his sprint. He’d have to find a way to cross over, get to Alfred.

Alfred’s head whipped up in his direction.

“Master Dick. Wait there.”

The delivery was calm, as was Alfred’s saunter back toward the hallway where they’d just been. No sign of any injuries.

Wait? What about the –

In his periphery, a figure dropped down fast to try to sweep him off his feet with a kick.

He jumped over Tim’s incoming leg swipe and reeled backward, creating some space.

Except Tim was all up in his face again and tried to grab him by the shoulders.

It was tight but he got his leg up in time, pushed Tim back hard. If he could just get a bit of –

“Grayson!”

That was the definite sound of Damian calling him from somewhere, the very same that’s supposed to be lying knocked out down in the cave. Did Tim just leave him there unrestrained? 

Alfred appeared behind Tim, with an equally hazy look on his face. 

For a moment, his body went both hot and cold at once.

Screw this.

Tim went for another grab, this time trying to get at his wrists but he wasn’t quick enough to stop him from leaping onto the wooden railing.

He jumped, airborne for a few seconds before he managed to grab onto the upper tier of the chandelier, causing the crystals to jangle. The giant thing swung and started to hang sideways, pulled down by the sudden weight.

Damian popped out from a door on the opposite side where Alfred had been previously been. As he glanced back, Tim was getting ready to jump after him.

No way but down. He let go, bracing himself. His feet thumped and the impact was dampened by the plush carpet.

In an instant, he leaped from his crouched position and ran for the closest doorway. Two thumps soon followed but he already had the door half-way shut by then.

The nearest bookshelf was heavy, his arms straining to push the massive thing, but through latching onto it and pulling it with his body, it toppled down the rest of the way itself and blocked the doorway.

They’d find a way around it soon enough in this monstrous maze of a manor.

But that meant he had at least a minute to find it. There had to be one around here somewhere.

It took crossing through two more rooms to get to it. It was one of Bruce’s special-issued wardrobes, a mahogany beauty that’d been placed in at least two guest rooms per floor. Underneath the mahogany exterior hid an inner compartment, accessed through the back of the wardrobe. It had the lovely perk of being coated with lead and other reinforced steel materials to function as a shelter from potential bombing and tracking, should the manor come under attack and they didn’t make it to the cave.

It’d always been one of his favorite hiding spots as a kid too. To think he’d have to use it as an adult and under these circumstances.

Before he slipped inside, he froze at the sudden revving noise that got louder and louder before coming to a full stop.

Outside the window, there was a flash of familiar red.

He’d have let out a wail of joy if he wasn’t busy hiding. That out there, Jason’s mug scowling at the entrance to the manor, was without a doubt his option yet. 

Carefully, he slipped inside the wardrobe and closed the door slowly before he headed into the hidden compartment. Now his brain just needed to wrap itself around what to do next.

Was he really the source? Or just somehow immune to whatever’s spreading? Rubbing his face, his mind took off. All from what could be infecting the others, to Jason and the thought of Bruce seeing all of this.

But first things first. Jason was probably here on what had to be another one of curiously timed impromptu visits. Somehow, they always occurred while Bruce was off-world. He activated the computer and dialed the these days familiar number.

A beeping tone, followed by silence. Then another tone. C’mon.

Then a click.

“Yello.”

“Thank god.”

“What—“

“Listen. You got your helmet with you?”

“Yeah. Wha—“

“Put it on. Don’t let _anything_ filter through, it’s gotta be air-tight. Okay? If you don’t have a filter, head down to the cave and fetch one that has. There should be some cartridges with oxygen refills down there too.” It all came tumbling out in a hushed ramble.

“Oh, and if you meet them, pretend you don’t know I’m here,” he added quickly.

“I don’t suppose you’re gonna tell me why?”

“Quick summary? Someone’s infected and I think it’s me. Crap’s contagious and now everyone’s lost their marbles. Hurry up and go, _please_.”

No response.

“You there? This is serious. Al’s been infected too.”

“Yeah, I hear you.”

“Text me when you’re done.” The call ended with a click and he double-checked that the computer was still in its default silent mode.

With Jason here, the odds had shifted. However, if Jason joined the other team roaming this house, things could get real ugly. Keeping distance would be priority number one along with not getting caught.

Besides the light from the computer, the small compartment was shrouded in darkness. The chill was getting to his damp skin, prickling it, as the minutes ticked on by. His frantically beating heart refused to wind down.

Maybe he should signal Babs too, in case it all went sideways.

There was a creak.

The cold prickle turned it into full-blown goosebumps and a mad scramble to his feet while crouching when the goddamn wardrobe door began to open.

He’d barely gotten up when Damian had the door to the compartment pulled open, letting in a small gust of air. His face carried the same hazy look as before as he crept inside. Then Damian’s body was abruptly yanked back by an unseen force, followed by a heavy thud and crashing noises out there somewhere.

Clambering his way out of the wardrobe, he was greeted by Tim staring at him. Damian stood seemingly uninjured on the other side of the room, in front of a bookcase that had fallen shelves and a pile of books seemed to have cluttered to the floor.

“You guys sure work fast.”

So much for hiding. He should’ve just smashed the window and taken his chances outside yet his brain had opted for this.

Tim pointed down towards the floor at a set of damp footprints, barely visible. Seriously, Tim had to be a hawk. He had a good mind to slap his forehead but his body was rigid.

The door was just to his right and while they were close but not _that_ close. He could make it.

He had to.

In a mad dash, he turned and ran, slamming the door in their faces.

Staying in the manor was impossible, that much had become clear.

Then his body stopped working. Every muscle contracted and spasmed. It was as if someone was punching his joints over and over, causing him to fall down to the side as his body didn’t respond. He couldn’t even yell, just clench his jaw.

A final shock ran through each nerve, followed by another curled-up spasm, before his brain caught up, glued to the figure in the doorway opposite from where he’d just come from.

Alfred. With a taser.

Tim and Damian had already thrown the door open and entered when his mind came back online.

The first thing to come out was a shaky sigh. “How about –“, another muscle spasm took his breath away “– not damaging the goods?” Dammit. With his suit, this would’ve never happened. 

Alfred didn’t say anything, just walking towards him with a blank look. As if that wasn’t enough to send a chill down his spine, Alfred was holding a needle. Tim and Damian didn’t move to stop him. Instead, Damian crouched down and skimmed a hand over his ankle.

How could they cooperate on something this?

His throat clogged up but it wasn’t as if anything he said would be of use anyway. Not when they were in this state. He yanked his foot away from Damian and scrambled back, straining for the limbs to work.

Shakily, he sat up. He needed to get up but his legs were still weak. Goddammit, he had to stop this.

Yet before he even got to attempt standing, he froze. Something rolled into the room from behind Alfred, a bunch of metal pellets. The last thing he caught was Jason’s bulk that appeared in the doorframe, red mask and all.

He rolled as far as he could to the side, squeezing his eyes shut and covering his ears.

The room exploded with a succession of piercing bangs, filling it with both white flashes and thick smoke. It still managed to daze him despite covering his ears and having his eyes closed but he continued to crawl sideways, towards where the wall should be. He felt for it with his outstretched hand, ambling along blindly.

A gloved hand wrapped around his upper arm, pulling him to his feet. It could’ve been anyone and his instincts screamed at him to fight. Yet his senses took in the size of that hand and the height of the figure shrouded in the smoke, dispelling any doubt.

In a blurry movement, Jason hurled something before covering him with his body. The explosion of glass shattering rang through the room and a burst of cold wind made its way inside along with alarms blaring, worse than a car horn. The smoke was already evaporating but by then Jason had pulled him towards the window and tapped against his back.

_Out._

As if he needed the instruction. Using the window-ledge, he leaped.

The gravel was considerably less gentle as it crunched beneath his bare feet.

Someone grunted and Jason landed several feet in front of him on his back, kicked out of the window and aimed his gun at it.

Then Jason _fired_.

The blast made him stop mid-step.

“What the—“.

No. Jason wouldn’t. Not anymore. It was all an evasive maneuver. 

Right?

“Hightail it, dumbass,” Jason yelled while scrambling to his feet. Upon casting a final glance at the window, he caught movement.

He followed Jason in a dash halfway across the courtyard towards the motorbike.

The shots hadn’t deterred the others for long. Damian and Tim had already jumped out after them as gravel crunched somewhere behind.

They were joined by Titus dashing out from the dark garden, who barked and growled, clearly upset at the commotion. Titus ran up to Damian but Damian paid him no mind.

Jason chucked a double cocktail consisting of a flashbang and smoke bomb at them as a batarang whizzed past his head by inches.

It bought enough precious seconds to get on the bike, Jason revving up the engine while he clutched one arm around Jason’s waist tightly. He threw a look behind but whipped his head back as Jason shoved a bunch of pellets into his hand. 

Tim was the first to burst out of the smoke.

Jason had to steer the bike out of range of incoming batarangs aimed at the wheels.

“Fuck, throw already!”

He did. One of the pellets collided with an incoming batarang, exploding mid-air like a firework made out of only flashes and smoke.

Damian appeared out of the smoke as well, a batarang raised in his hand but seemed hesitant to throw it as Jason swerved the bike.

The engine was rearing to go and they were off. He had to tighten his hold around Jason’s waist at the sudden movement. Yet they still hadn’t put enough distance behind them. 

“You mind stepping on the gas?”

“You mind shutting up and be grateful I’m haulin’ your ass outta here?” Jason pulled a small remote out of his pocket, and with a click, the gates began to open. The motorbike finally began to pick up speed.

They made it past the gate and around the corner, rushing downhill followed by Titus’ barks echoing through the woods. The cold cut into his skin and his entire body sagged against Jason’s back as the distance to the manor grew and the city lights grew closer.

Now he just needed to find out what the hell’s going on.


	2. No Place Like Home

The engine barely wound down before the weight on the seat behind him was gone. 

“Holy smokes.” Dick buzzed next to him, seemingly having broken out into some sort of stepdance next to the bike, rubbing his arms frantically before squatting up and down as if that’d possibly generate enough heat. Then Dick dipped almost deep down to expose his junk underneath the towel.

“Christ, you tryin’ to give everyone a free show?”

Granted, the underground car park did seem void of people but there was no way to be sure.

“Not like there’s much left to hide though, is there?” Dick gave him that cheeky grin of his and stretched out his arms, challenging him to take a peek. However, Dick seemed to immediately regret it and hugged himself again. Even in the dim yellow ceiling lights, the array of goosebumps on his skin were clearly visible.

Suppose he should be grateful Dick wasn’t buck-naked at least. That’d have made the ride into town far more awkward than it’d already been. 

He peeled his jacket off and threw it at Dick, who caught it with ease, and waved for him to follow. They’d better make headway toward the safehouse a couple of blocks over. He’d rather not have those two brats up his ass anytime soon if he could avoid it. Although, they probably wouldn’t be vying for him based on how they’d swarmed Dick back at the manor.

He glanced at Dick who walked beside him.

“Is it far?”

He shook his head and marched on. The street lights had flickered to life as early evening had settled in. Naturally, Dick drew curious glances as they walked down the streets, some even lingering, but they were mostly bums and people headed for the nearby bars.

Finally, after cutting through one final alleyway, they reached it. The twenty-ish square feet that made up his bachelor suite aka basement apartment in this area wasn’t exactly intended for guests. It became evidently clear after turning on the lights, as Dick stepped on inside after him and the two of them standing there was already hogging a fair share of the space.

First things first though.

He made a beeline through the cramped space past the bed and nightstand to the reinforced equipment locker in the corner.

“Son of a—“

After unlocking the damn thing, the door to the equipment locker rattled stubbornly and required an extra-harsh pull before opening. He’d probably ditch this safehouse anyways now that someone else knew about it and when he did, he’d make sure to replace this broken-ass piece of shit.

“Wow, didn’t think _this_ was your style.”

He looked back to see Dick fiddling with his T-rex lamp on the nightstand and turning it on. The thing barely gave any outward glow, rather brimming with an orange light from within.

He rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to rummaging through the locker. “It was a gift.” A stupid one that he should’ve thrown out rather than have dumped here.

As soon as he brought the medkit out of the locker, Dick’s eyes glued themselves to it like it was a bunch of treats. Once he’d handed the kit over to Dick, he barely spoke. It was as if he had forgotten about the cold and all else, rushing to do everything from swabs to blood tests as if beating a world record. Hell, he didn’t even bother to get dressed, like a machine with a designated task.

“Here.”

He dumped a pile of clothes on the bed.

Dick looked up from the blue screen of the tablet he’d just borrowed, lips tugging up into a smile.

“Thanks.”

Dick reached out his hand as if to clap his shoulder in appreciation but froze mid-way, retracting it awkwardly. The tablet soon enough beckoned his attention again and Dick’s eyes widened.

“Look.”

Dick handed the tablet to him. Seeing the results, he whistled. “That’s a new compound, for sure.”

“Yeah. The initial scans didn’t pick it up before but it’s definitely there. And we know it affects others.” Dick put the black shirt on and tugged it down over his head.

Sure enough, being creepily composed was a staple of Bruce’s merry band of muppets. However, Dick hadn’t so much as twitched while talking about the unknown junk wreaking havoc inside his body. 

He looked up as Dick dropped the towel to put on the pair of boxers.

“You got any lab equipment stashed around here?” Dick asked. “For an antitoxin?”

His eyes dove back down into the screen of the tablet and he shrugged.

“No, just the usual.”

Which meant basic medical kits and scanners, pretty much all of which he’d already handed over to Dick. No lab. “If you want to cook up something fancier, we’ll have to go elsewhere.”

He’d never heard of Ivy ever giving someone side-effects like this. Why create something that’d make people nuts about someone other than her? Fortunately, the infection seemed to be mainly airborne. Touch was a probable source as well, although still unverified. The mere thought made him look down at his body armor to double-check that there wasn’t a single gap of exposed skin.

“Alright. Then I’ll get my gear.”

He whipped his head up. “You what now?”

“Gotta go to my apartment. To suit up.” Dick fixed him with a stare and set his jaw in that stupidly determined way, reminiscent of Bruce. It didn’t really do much to quell the anger now bubbling up in his chest.

“That’s the first damn place they’ll look. Fuck the suit.”

After all that, Dick wanted to charge right back into their hands like a moron?

Dick looked sheepish. “Look, you’ve already helped me tons by getting me out of there—”

“Don’t even start.”

For shit’s sake, what did Dick take him for? A scumbag that’d ditch his ass in a fucked-up situation like this? Like leaving a wounded man to the coyotes. The very same “wounded” man who’d saved his ass during the last attempted assassination on that LexCorp cargo ship just two months back. Or during any of the cases they’d worked on together during the past year, frankly.

“Just borrow one of mine.” He tore the equipment locker doors open completely, revealing both the spare suit and weaponry stashed here. Yet Dick shook his head.

“It won’t fit. I can’t fight in that.”

The clothes he’d lent Dick did look baggy, the T-shirt stretching below his waist and Dick having had to fold up the cargo pants above his ankles.

Still, no excuse for dumbassery.

“Then fight without it.” Dick was the lethal weapon here, not the suit.

“I need it.”

So persistent. “Why?”

Dick oddly enough averted his eyes and shifted on his feet.

“Because—“ How unusual. Dick actually seemed at a loss for words, rubbing his face before speaking up again. “Because they’ll be able to goddamn tase me and god knows what else.” Dick’s throat bobbed upon briefly pausing. “These aren’t common thugs, Jay. I can’t go up against them like this.”

Dick plopped down on the bed next to them with a bounce and a creak. Like that, the anger drained out of him. He tore his gaze away, settling on the lit T-rex bed lamp. It seemed to stare at him with its tiny yellow prick of an eye and gnarly face, all judging while radiating its orange glow.

He tossed the tablet down next to Dick on the bed before meeting his gaze. “You mean, you want a chastity belt?”

Dick winced. “Don’t call it that.”

But that’s what it was. To be fair, he’d probably want the same thing if he was the one hunted by crazed Bat-brats.

And Alfred. Jesus.

He raised his arms in mock surrender. “Hey now, I’m not the dipshit that got a face-full of Ivy-juice.” He tapped his helmet. “You see this baby here?”

Dick rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. You’re the greatest, the best.”

“Damn straight.”

He was tempted to put on the transparency setting just so Dick could see the grin he made sure to send his way. However, Dick’s focus seemed to be on his armory.

A flash across his screen made him stiffen.

“What the hell?” he muttered as Dick gave him an odd look.

Unknown caller-ID. Figures. He took the call, uttering a “Who’s this?” into the comms of his helmet. He’d give the person 10 seconds and if it were any of the brats, it’d end in one.

“Oh, you actually picked up.” Barbara’s voice rang.

“How’d you—“

“Listen, is he with you?”

He wasn’t sure whether to answer that. He signed ‘Barbara’ to Dick, who perked up and nodded.

“Yeah. Gimme a sec, I’ll put you on speaker.” He connected the call to one of his commlinks from the locker. 

“Heya,” Dick called out while staring at the device in his outheld hand.

“Mind explaining why I just received a request to track you down?” Barbara’s voice crackled.

Dick stiffened.

“Red Robin told me that you’re in some sort of trouble, that you’d been taken somewhere by Red Hood.” Barbara paused for a moment. “It was weird. Couldn’t tell me why, only that he’d explain later.”

Dick loosened up, lowering his shoulders again and scoffed. “I’ll bet. I’m, uh—”, Dick cleared his throat and lowered his voice “— sort of infected. One of Ivy’s plants got me. I think it’s contagious. The others started acting, well, you know. _Off_.”

“Off?”

It was kinda funny to see Dick struggle not to cringe. “They’re, uh, reacting to some pheromones that seem to have rubbed off on me.”

Barbara let out a surprised laugh.

“Wait, for real?”

“ _Yes_ , for real.” It was borderline hilarious when Dick almost pouted. He snorted, making Dick glare at him. “It’s serious. They tried to jump me. Even Al.”

That did wipe the smile off of his face. The fact that Alfred had gotten dragged into this sorry-ass mess was just uncomfortable. 

Barbara seemed more serious in tone as well when she spoke up. “Yeah, that’s bad. Are you oka—”

This wasn’t really the time for chit-chat. “I suppose you couldn’t get them off our backs? This dumbass here insists on getting his gear.”

Barbara hummed. “I suppose I could try.”

Dick stood up suddenly. “Wait. They’re not their usual selves. Things could get ugly.”

“What, how nuts are they?” Barbara asked.

“Honestly? No idea. Just don’t let them think you’re messing with them. Cooperate if need be. We’ll manage.”

Dick looked up at him, shooting him a smile and a thumbs up.

Yeah, _sure_.

“They won’t find me, don’t worry. I’ll do what I can so try and stay out of trouble, yeah?”

“Scout’s honor.”

Barbara snorted before ending the call. 

“I’m still against it.”

A last ditch effort. To his credit, Dick did look chastised. “I know.”

Well, that settled it then. Terrific. “What’s the plan?”

Dick shrugged. “For starters, I gotta fix whatever the hell that thing did to me, to them. Maybe Ivy can reverse it.” Dick gave a crooked grin. “Yet I got this teeny-weeny feeling she’s not gonna be very cooperative.”

Dick trudging through a criminal nest like Arkham while pumped full of these bizarre pheromones was beyond playing with fire. Rather bathing in it.

“Look, if that’s the case, I’ll go.”

Dick’s face screwed up and he shook his head. “No, it’s okay.”

It was his turn to roll his eyes. “I see my delicate appearance might fool you but I’m actually more than a pretty face.” He made sure to punctuate each word while gesturing down his armor, hoping the damn point got through Dick’s skull. “Shocker, ain’t it?”

Dick pouted again and now it was just getting annoying. “I don’t doubt your capabilities it’s just—“, Dick scrubbed a hand down his face again, “—Nevermind. Let’s just go get my gear first.” Dick fixed him with a stare, face tight. Clearly still looking doubtful. 

“Don’t worry, yours truly—“, he jabbed a thumb at himself, “— is gonna keep your precious bits safe.” He gestured at Dick’s groin for emphasis.

Dick didn’t look nearly as impressed as he should’ve been.

* * *

He’d preferred the usual dark sky hanging over Gotham. Rain would’ve been even better for cover. Yet the unobscured full moon was plastered above them while they rode the bike, radiating its light down on the nighttime streets. It’d only been a couple of hours since they’d fled the manor but Dick had insisted on going as soon as possible. The obvious need to get the gear seemed like a bad itch, the way Dick had paced like a trapped animal back at the safehouse waiting for Barbara to give them the thumbs up.

Really, he couldn’t blame him. He’d seen the others back at the manor. The hazy eyes, the way they’d crawled to him like moths to a light bulb. Yeah, the suit was definitely a much-needed deterrent in case anyone got that close again. Yet there was this creepy feeling that the others might still somehow be staking out Dick’s place despite the diversion, ready to pounce.

He parked the bike a couple of blocks over where he’d then traverse the last stretch by rooftop and Dick by foot. He’d lent Dick a spare grappling gun and taser just in case things went south.

Dick tilted and stretched his neck as if amping up for a fight.

“Remember the drill?” He poked Dick’s shoulder, his gloved fingertip pushed back by taut muscles underneath.

Dick nodded. 

“Really?”

“ _Really,_ ” Dick said in a drawn-out and obnoxious manner. “Ye of little faith.”

“Just checkin’ so your head’s still in the game.” Dick did look more drained than usual.

Dick shot him a sloppy salute before walking off, disappearing around the corner out into the street. He headed upward, grappling his way to the rooftop opposite Dick’s downtrodden apartment building. It was smushed in-between rows of other equally shoddy buildings lining the street.

No thermal signatures, no figures lurking in the shadows. Not on this rooftop nor the neighboring ones. It took a couple of minutes before Dick had entered the building and he followed Dick’s figure through the concrete walls, rushing up the stairs and making his way into the apartment. A glimpse of Dick’s figure appeared through the window looking into the kitchen and he followed his movements as Dick whooshed through the apartment, seemingly checking every nook and cranny. Dick seemed to linger at every door before pushing the handle down like a cop busting through. Dick even raised his head at the ceiling in every room, as if he’d find Damian or Tim lurking there straight out of a horror flick. 

“Clear?” he called through the comms.

“Clear.” Dick’s voice crackled through the earpiece.

Dick darted into the bedroom and started to dig through the closet.

He leaned back, taking in the surroundings once more. Still, no unwelcome guests and it made him question why he’d worried in the first place. Barbara must’ve been successful in diverting them. Besides, the Ivy-juice had probably drugged up their brains. Their movements back at the manor had been sloppy, to say the least. 

“Oh man, there she is. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” Dick’s voice crackled to life again. He glanced back at Dick’s figure through the wall holding up something in front of him, soaking it all in like it was a precious jewel.

Dick came into view and dumped the suit on the bed before pulling at the hems of his shirt only to pause and stare out into the living room and kitchen. Then Dick suddenly marched out of the bedroom with the suit in hand and shirt still on and picked something up from the kitchen countertop, illuminating his face.

A cellphone.

Goddammit.

Just because the Bat-brats weren’t here right now didn’t mean they wouldn’t be. He activated the comms, about to speak when Dick’s head whipped towards the doorway.

Something’s up.

He doubled down on enhancing the sound but the wind wailing got in the way. Not enough to cover up the sound of someone knocking though.

Shit.

It was a split-second decision. Stay and attempt to snipe from a distance or provide closer backup. A second later, he’d sprung to his feet and pulled out the grappling gun while stepping on the edge and fired.

“—ey man, you in there?” crackled through the comms. Another knock.

He stiffened mid-air. Why’d he recognize that voice?

Someone tried the handle with a small squeak and the door creaked open. He just about managed to land on the building wall on a narrow edge, next to the window to the living room.

“There you are, hey-o! Was starting to think you weren’t home.”

He peeked into the room carefully, barely leaning forward. 

“Did you get my text? I got the goods.”

It was the redhead speedster freak that Dick hung out with. The speedster raised what appeared to be a shopping bag that rustled and he smiled as he closed the door behind him.

“Wally, I—” Dick began. He was getting some feedback as Dick spoke both from inside the apartment and through the earpiece.

“Man, did they cut your electricity?”. Light poured out of the window when the switch was flipped. He whipped back completely out of view but Wally’s figure wasn’t even turned toward the window. He inched closer again, looking inside.

The guy’s smile had held firm for about five seconds before dropping. Then he crinkled his nose and waved a hand in front of his face.

Uh-oh.

“Stop.”

Dick had put up his hand and taken a step back. “Look, I’m infected. You need to get out of here.” The words tumbled out of Dick’s mouth.

“Sorry, what?” Wally mumbled while taking a step closer.

“I said, you need to stay away.” Dick did his best to emphasize the ‘away” part, pointing at the apartment door. It looked comical, especially when Dick waved his hand as if shooing.

Wally suddenly sniffed, his confused look evaporating into a hazy one. The bag dropped, spilling the contents out on the floor causing a flask of soda to pop. It fizzed before spraying but Wally didn’t seem bothered even as it soaked his shoes.

He scrambled for the gun loaded with tranquilizer shots in his holster as Dick seemed to have given up on talking and took it upon his own to create some distance by sprinting and vaulting over the couch. The apartment wasn’t big and it wouldn’t take long to reach the bedroom and more importantly the armory there.

Except the douchebag popped into existence right in front of the bedroom door before Dick could reach it. He doubted either he or Dick had even gotten the chance to blink. Wally grabbed Dick by the shoulders and had that same disgusting goofy look like the others, as he puckered his lips and leaned closer.

Fuck, he needed to stop this. _Now._ Yet he couldn’t yield his advantage of being unseen without having a clear shot.

Dick struggled to lean back his head, away from the incoming mouth, and reached for something in his back pocket, hopefully the taser he’d borrowed to blast the bastard’s ass. As Wally got closer and closer, Dick had to raise a hand to try and block the incoming mouth.

“Hey, buddy. You’re gonna be so embarrassed –“ Dick started.

Wally’s hand wrapped around Dick’s wrist and their lips attached.

Fucking hell.

Dick tapped Wally’s arm and weirdly enough, the guy withdrew.

“How about we, uh, take this to the bedroom?”

It fried his brain for a sec. He could only see the back of Dick’s head and how Wally’s face cracked up into a big smile.

“Sounds terrific,” Wally said. Just like that, their shapes became a blur and they were both gone. 

Did he lose them?

Two figures re-materialized through the walls inside Dick’s bedroom and he suppressed the sudden sigh of relief making its way through his pressed lips.

Sliding his way over to the bedroom window, he had to hug the wall as to not slip on the narrow ledge that barely fit half of his boot. Firing the grapple gun was too much of a risk this close. Slightest sound or even breeze might tip the guy off.

The two figures didn’t move from their spot inside near the bed. It was now or never before that speedster-fuck jerked Dick away at superspeed for real this time. Even with the tracker Dick had on him, there’d be no telling what would happen during the time it’d take for him to catch up to them.

Through the wall, he caught Dick putting his hand up against Wally’s chest when Wally moved in for another kiss. In one smooth move, Dick had grabbed Wally and turned them around and got Wally to plop down on the bed.

“Hey, what’d you say I take this—“, Dick held up the suit still clutched in his hand “— and put it on? Y’know, spice things up?”

He dared a peek and cringed as Dick tried to smile at Wally who just shook his head. Then Wally started fiddling with the button to his pants. 

Dick grabbed the hand, halting it.

“Okay, how about you lemme do this then? _Slowly_.” Dick clutched Wally’s arm while pulling up his shirt a bit in a manner that could only be described as seductive.

This time Wally actually perked up, nodding enthusiastically.

“Great.” Dick patted Wally’s head like he was a goddamn dog and Wally leaned into the touch.

Then Dick seemed to back up very slowly, while pulling up his shirt all the way and over his head, eyes locked on Wally.

This was his chance. He leaned into view of the window and gave a quick wave. Wally still seemed entranced, back turned to the window as he was presumably busy doing a dopey-ass face at Dick and the ongoing striptease.

Dick stopped and got the shirt off entirely, glancing past Wally right at him. Their eye contact was brief before Dick’s eyes darted back down at Wally. But he’d seen him alright, he was still in his line of vision. He signed and pointed at Wally and then chopped against his own neck, then turning the motion into a stabbing gesture.

As soon as he finished picking the lock to the window, he’d have a clear shot at the back of the neck. There wasn’t any time to disable the motion sensors placed just inside but by the time they sent a beep to Dick’s alarm on the bedstand, he’ll have shot the bastard.

Dick looked at him again and Wally seemed to catch on at Dick staring past his shoulder and moved to turn.

“Here, catch.” Dick called out.

Wally paused and looked back only to get a face full of Dick’s shirt. He caught it and horrifically enough, he brought it up to his nose and sniffed it. It was as if someone’d just given him a scented candle for his birthday and he couldn’t get enough of it.

“Dang, you’re hot.” Wally said, words muffled by the shirt he’d pressed against his face.

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks. Just sit back and—”

Wally giggled like a drunkard. “No, really. A hottie of mass destruction.”

The lock finally opened. 

To cover his entrance, Dick audibly cleared his throat. “So, what next? Socks?” Dick threw out his arms to garner Wally’s full attention. Not like that was a problem in Wally’s current state with googly eyes tracking every moment.

“You wanna take a whiff of these bad boys too?” Dick started tugging off the sock from his left foot when Wally was suddenly in front of Dick, smooching him again. This time around, a hand also inched toward Dick’s backside.

Shit, he had a good mind to just tear the window open than slowly inching it bit by bit.

Dick hugged back, seemingly relaxing into the kiss and Wally’s hold. Behind Wally’s back, Dick waved at him to hurry up. Shit, he was going as fast as he could. Having gripped onto the sides of Wally’s face, Dick kept trying to keep the kiss going and covering Wally’s ears while holding him firmly in place. Dick even let out a small noise to mask the quiet thud of his boots as he entered. 

A discreet beep came from Dick’s bedstand as the motion sensor went off. It might as well have been a goddamn car horn.

He fired the two small darts in quick succession and both embedded themselves into the back of Wally’s neck and Dick wrapped his arms around Wally as his body slumped into his arms with Wally’s head lolling down over his shoulder.

“Thanks.” Dick gave him a nod before carrying Wally to the bed. “Geez, I’m gonna owe a thousand taco-nights for this,” Dick muttered to himself while fetching cuffs out of his closet. By the time Dick clicked the last cuff in place, he couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“What the hell?” He threw his hands up. 

Dick turned around and had the gall to look confused.

“What?”

“This!” He gestured at the doofus lying on the bed.

“Oh. Figured it’d be easier if you did it while I kept him distracted.”

Freaking hell, he wasn’t just talking about Dick not tasing his ass at the first touch. Watching them mash mouths had been trippy, to say the least. “I mean why’s he _here_?”

Dick rubbed his neck. “He, uh— Lisa wanted a break. Here, lemme—“ Dick looked around before he dove into the living room and grabbed the discarded phone. Dick handed it over with the screen displaying a chat. The first line read “Hey you there? Lisa said she wants to take a break…” with a sad smiley. Then followed by “Can I come over?” and an attached image of a bag of spice mix for taco. So the guy had just hurried over here without even bothering for a reply, to weep and gobble tacos? What a shitshow.

He clicked his tongue and by the time he looked up, Dick was already halfway through putting on his suit.

“Here, I’ll get someone to pick him up.” Dick said as he waved for him to hand the phone back, now all zipped up.

“We gotta bail, do it en route.”. He tossed the phone and Dick caught it, nodding before putting it back down on the counter.

He was halfway out of the window, about to jump, when he turned his head. He caught Dick staring at Wally’s figure on the bed, looking as if he’d zoned out. It was… rare, for Dick to look so exhausted that it almost made him speak up. Yet his mouth closed and he jumped out, grappling away.

Dick had put up with all of that for far too long. It was odd. That wasn’t his friend anymore, that was an infected sex-crazed scumbag that’d have preyed on him without thinking twice. What the hell had he been waiting for?

Uninvited, the anger just rose inside like bile and he stared as Dick finally emerged in full gear, flying through the air. Dick landed next to him where he was now crouched onto the rooftop ledge and tossed him the earpiece with a beaming grin.

He caught it single-handedly. “You do realize that—“, he pointed at the suit, “—won’t compensate for you being a chump?” Geez, Dick was acting as if the damn thing was giving him superpowers.

Dick chided him with a tsk-tsk. “Don’t listen to him, baby. He’s just jealous.” Dick patted his chest, stroking the emblem. The relief was palpable as if the tension from before had been drained and loosened up Dick’s entire posture.

“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that.”

Dick offered him a hand but he swatted it away as he stood up. “So, where to?”

While rubbing his neck, Dick stretched his other arm upward. It stretched the suit even tighter, accentuating every muscle in his upper body. “To a proper lab.” Dick grinned. “No offense.”

Some offense was taken on behalf of his awesome safehouse, it’d just been the closest and happened to be lacking a bit in the medical department, that’s all.

Suddenly, Dick snapped his fingers. “Got it. Follow me.” Dick leaped off of the building and grappled away, steering clear of the street lights.

It wasn’t until Dick landed on another rooftop that he caught up and could ask “Hold up, where to?”

“Wayne Biotech. Closest facility is just a few miles.” Dick made a finger gun at him. 

Not a bad idea, actually. The coordinates indicated that it was not too far off and the sooner they could settle this, the better.

He was about to reply but Dick suddenly seemed to tense. Quickly, Dick waved for him to come closer and pointed at something in the distance. “Look.” Due to the darkness, he had to switch up the visual settings to make out what Dick was focusing on. Then there it was.

A pillar of smoke.

Judging by the location, the smoke had to be somewhere around the eastern docks.

“What the hell?”

Dick lit up his holographic computer interface from the gloved wrist, scanning through the familiar GCPD interface and logs.

The comms beeped.

“Yes?” He snapped his fingers at Dick and pointed at his helmet, making a ‘call’-sign. 

“Have you seen the news?” Barbara’s voice sounded urgent.

“Well, hello to you too.”

Barbara huffed but it didn’t give her much pause. “Listen, things just went off the rails between Black Mask and Penguin. They’ve blown up at least a dozen warehouses on the eastern docks.”

They must’ve torched the place good to produce that much smoke. “Yeah, we’re seeing it live.” he replied. 

“Are you guys still doing the thingie?”

“No, we got it.”

“Great. I’ll patch him through.”

There was a bit of feedback at the start when Dick’s voice sounded next to him while also crackling through the comms, having been patched through to the call. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Several warehouses linked to Sionis Industries just got blown to pieces at the eastern docks. There’s already been multiple reports of gunfights and they just keep coming.” The clicks of her mechanical keyboard echoed through the comms. “There’s even a bounty on Penguin that went live a couple of hours ago.”

Dick’s jaw visibly tightened and they looked at each other.

“And I guess Red Robin hasn’t responded?” Dick asked. Somewhere in the distance, a faint blare of sirens had become audible.

“Oh, he did. I told him his case got blown wide open but guess what? Seems like a turf war just wasn’t compelling enough compared to prodding me about someone’s whereabouts.” Barbara sounded about as ticked off as he was feeling. For fuck’s sake.

“Alright, one of them has to back down.” Dick said and started to pace. “We’ll start with Iceberg Lounge. You got a pin on Black Mask’s location?” Dick continued as his pacing came to a stop.

“Not yet, but I’m digging through his file records. Let me get back to you on that.”

“If we get Penguin, how soon can you get the press to release a statement about him being in custody?”

“As soon as you got the cuffs on him.”

“Great. If that fails, we’ll need Black Mask’s location.”

“You got it. Just be careful.” With that, Barbara ended the call.

He resisted the urge to sigh.

“You good?” Dick asked while walking up to him.

That’s what he wanted to ask.

“Yeah, just peachy.”

Dick clapped him on the shoulder, grin back in full force. “The two of us?” Dick pointed his finger between them both. “We got this, no problemo.”

He called bullshit on that but the deal was sealed. Fixing Dick and the others had to be bumped down from the top of the shitlist. All they could really do now was face the fact that this was going to be one long crappy night. 


End file.
